Five reasons why signing Stevan Jovetic will make sense for Arsenal

By Harsh Shah

With the Fiorentina hitman heavily linked with the Gunners in the past few days, Goal.com presents a five-point breakdown as to why Wenger should snap up the Montenegrin...

Just nine gameweeks lie between now and the end of the season for Arsenal in the Premier League. They have a three-way duel with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea going on for the elusive fourth Champions League spot. With the top spot out of contention, come the close season, Arsenal would have gone a whopping eight summers without winning a major title. But such is the Gunners' calling that despite all of the above negative publicity, they will still be linked with the world's top talents; and much recently the name of Fiorentina attacker Stevan Jovetic has cropped up in the same vein as the Emirates side.

A product of Serbian club FK Partizan Belgrade, Jovetic has been in fine form for La Viola this season in the Serie A and is a consistent presence in the Montenegro national team. With the last week providing a lot of conjecture to Jovetic's proposed move to Arsenal, Goal.com gives you 5 reasons why his signing for Arsenal might be a win-win situation for everyone involved...

1. JOVETIC IS VERSATILE

Jovetic's versatilaty and flexible positioning on the football pitch can come of good use at Arsenal. He can play either as an out-an-out striker or as a traditional No. 10 behind the main striker. His agile displays for the Florence side as well as national team Montenegro have shown that apart from these two positions, he can also be deployed on the right or the left wings; capable of either cutting in and facilitating play or resorting wider to make space for others and crossing the ball into the box.

For La Viola, Jovetic is either paired with Adam Ljajic or when Luca Toni starts, he pushes back into the No. 10 role. In the international setup he often plays upfront along with Juventus striker Mirko Vucinic, his latest stint in the position coming against England in the 2014 World Cup qualifier that finished 1-1 on Tuesday night.

All this means that if Jovetic were to appear in the red and white of Arsenal next season, he would offer a flurry of options for Arsene Wenger.

2. JOVETIC SOLVES THE AGE CONUNDRUM

At 23 years of age, the 24-cap old Montenegro national is not too young to count among a proposed Arsenal starlet, nor is he too old to count as a veteran of the game.

Yes, one could see him as a veteran of sorts looking at the experience he has garnered at the top level despite being only 23. Though adjusting to the Premier League's speed and physical demands might be a challenge, Jovetic is no newbie when it comes to handling pressure. He was Partizan Belgrade's youngest captain ever when he donned the armband at the age of 18 in January 2008 and is a seasoned Serie A campaigner with a total of 127 appearances under his belt in his five seasons so far at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

So keeping age as well as the experience he has in the equation, Jovetic is a strong contendor for an Arsenal move.

POSSIBLE TEAMMATES? | Jovetic could be Arsenal's big summer signing

3. JOVETIC WILL ADD A NEW DIMENSION AND GOALS

There is no hiding the fact that this season was a transition of sorts for Arsenal following Robin Van Persie's departure to Old Trafford. Among the new recruits from the summer, Santi Cazorla has been exceptional while Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski have shown flashes of brilliance. That apart, Wenger's men will not have achieved anything substantial at the end of yet another miserable season.

Jovetic could just be that whiff of fresh air who adds an amazing dimension to this stuttering, inconsistent and misfiring Gunners outfit. A prolific attack-minded Jovetic can be the perfect pairing alongside Giroud, with the former running onto the latter's flicks and lay-ups. He also has the pace and guile to facilitate some creative interplay with the likes of Theo Walcott, Cazorla and Wilshere meaning Wenger can rejig the side's formation to greater effect. He could be used in a 4-3-3 formation with Podolski and Walcott upfront involving a lot of swapping or could be deployed in a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 alongside or just behind Giroud respectively.

Blessed with a brilliant first touch, Jovetic could just be the man to unlock Arsenal's potential following this summer.

And to go along with the dimension is his innate ability to come up with some top-notch goals. Equally comfortable with both feet, Jovetic is capable of chipping in with a decent tally of goals. He is a sure threat from set pieces too. His goalscoring prowess will be more than welcome at an Arsenal frontline which is just a year old minus last season's talisman Robin Van Persie. Recent acts of brilliance in scoring by Jovetic came when scored two absolute beauties against Inter Milan this season in an astounding 4-1 win over the Nerazzuri in the Serie A.

4. JOVETIC HAS MADE HIS AFFINITY FOR ARSENAL VOCAL

It is always a sensible decision to bring aboard a player who is willing and desirous of playing for a particular club. One can always prise away a prospect with an offer he cannot refuse, but for the long run you would rather sign someone who makes the club his own.

Stevan Jovetic is one such player. He has made his affinity for the North London club public by saying he is 'happy to be on the radar of such a big club like Arsenal'. Despite Fiorentina teammate Luca Toni spicing up the odds by saying Jovetic is too big for a club like Arsenal, speculations are still rife about the Montenegro regular's proposed move to the Emirates in the summer.

With rumours of Arsene Wenger receiving a weekly scouting report of Fiorentina's number 8, the buzz is only going to escalate further as the transfer window approaches. The interest is their from both parties, but what remains to be seen is who makes a serious statement of intent on the matter in the months to come.

5. JOVETIC WILL ADD DEPTH TO THE GUNNERS

To add to his versatility in positioning as well as style-of-play, Jovetic will also add depth to this Arsenal side. Keeping the attacking midfield and forward section in context, Arsenal have definitely not fired on all cylinders as far as this season is concerned. As mentioned earlier, if Jovetic were to arrive at the Emirates, he will be stationed in varying roles upfront in attack, where Arsenal's options have taken a beating at times this season.

Theo Walcott has done well in patches given his shiftings between the flanks and a central role. While Lukas Podolski has been above par, Olivier Giroud has staked his claim after a slow start. With the Ivorian Gervinho inconspicuously unimpressive and the Russian Andrey Arshavin relatively non-existent, the talented Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been used sporadically by Wenger. If any of the front three in Podolski, Giroud and Walcott were to fall prey to injury, it could be a serious problem for Arsenal in attack.

So as is evident, the North Londoners need reinforcements in the summer. Jovetic could provide that by showcasing more than one avatar by arriving in the summer. His finishing is way better than Walcott with pace to boast of too. Not to mention his final delivery is on par with that of Cazorla. He seems to be the complete package.

Not to forget his brilliant performance against Liverpool in Florence where he scored a brace and help his side to a 2-0 victory.

What remains to be seen is whether Wenger is ready to shell out the cash to bring the 23-year old onboard. If it all the transfer happens, it will be advisable to snap up the target soon so as to give him ample time to adjust into the squad.

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